Share This Story!

App for college students focuses on suicide prevention

CINCINNATI -- Students at an Ohio college who may be considering suicide, or those who encounter them, could get more online help starting this fall. Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, is offering a free mobile

CINCINNATI -- Students at an Ohio college who may be considering suicide, or those who encounter them, could get more online help starting this fall.

Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, is offering a free mobile app students can use to connect with emergency responders if they are potentially suicidal.

It's part of a pilot program from eReadia LLC, customized for Miami students. A number of other colleges across the country are also using the app, according to the company's website.

Called Just in Case, the app already has been viewed by 1,045 people since it was introduced in late August, said Kip Alishio, director of student counseling services at Miami.

The app's tabs, which have been viewed more than 2,000 times, include "I can't cope," "I'm worried about a friend," and "I might hurt myself."

The school also is offering online training for students, faculty and staff so they can learn common indicators of psychological distress.

"Emotional crises are part of being young," Alishio said. "What we should be able to do is intervene early so we can help that student."

Alishio said numbers of suicides and attempted suicides are vastly underreported and that suicide remains one of the top three causes of death among college students.

Miami had one student suicide last year.

Nationally, 44 percent of American college students report symptoms of depression, while 75 percent said they do not seek help for mental health issues, according to Healthline.com.

One thing is certain: More students are seeking mental health counseling services. More than 9 percent of Miami students used on-campus counseling services last year, compared with 3.5 percent of students in 1995, Alishio said.

"This is a sign the stigma is reducing," he said. "There's also some reason to believe students need it more."

Miami employs nine counselors, and nearly all of its services are offered in person. While there are some trends toward services online or on the telephone, those present complicated legal and ethical issues, Alishio said.

"We think that the time for mobile delivery of these critical resources is here," said Kevin Kruger, president of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, in a statement. "Several recent high-profile cases have told us that support for a student undergoing crisis is critical on an 'anywhere, anytime' basis."

The online training comes through a partnership with Kognito Interactive.

The company says students who complete the training are more likely to intervene when a fellow student exhibits signs of depression or potential suicide.

The cost of the training, about $10,000 a year, is covered by a federal grant, Alishio said.